Monday, July 29, 2013

29 July 2011 - The USSF's Five-Year Plan Comes To Fruition

On 29 July 2011, the United States Soccer Federation announced the hiring of Jürgen Klinsmann as the national team's new manager.

Although a successful player with Germany, Inter, Bayern Munich, Klinsmann had served as a manager only twice before, and for brief spells. He guided the German national team to a third-place finish in the 2006 World Cup, but left that summer after only two years at the helm. He then took charge of Bayern Munich in July 2008, but left the following April after a disappointing spell.

Despite his lack of experience, the USSF had been keen to hire Klinsmann since 2006, reportedly offering him the job twice before, only to have negotiations break down when the federation would not agree to give him the broad degree of control he demanded. But after their dismissal of Bob Bradley in July 2011, they finally reached terms with Klinsmann.

His tenure started poorly, with the team losing four of their first six matches, but the situation improved by 2012, when the US enjoyed a run of success including their first-ever away win over rivals Mexico. The team continues to shine under Klinsmann, having just won the 2013 Gold Cup on the back of a team-record eleven-game winning streak.